Home AdExchanger Talks Podcast: All About Dotdash

Podcast: All About Dotdash

SHARE:

AdExchanger Talks is a podcast focused on data-driven marketing. Subscribe here.

Dotdash is among the oldest continuously operating digital publishers. In its previous incarnation as About.com, the company employed legions of “experts” on topics as varied as saving for retirement, diabetes and the Middle East. Later, under the ownership of IAC, it rebranded as Dotdash and structured all its content around seven special interest brands: Verywell, The Spruce, The BalanceInvestopedia, Lifewire, TripSavvy and ThoughtCo. After years of flagging traffic, the move was a bid to differentiate with users and advertisers.

It worked. In a Nov. 8 letter to shareholders, IAC said it would break out Dotdash into its own segment, citing Q3 revenue growth of 35% to $30 million. Annual gross revenues are set to surpass $100 million.

On the podcast this week, Dotdash CEO Neil Vogel describes the factors that have helped the company succeed in what is often thought of as a tough market for publishers. Those factors include fast-loading pages and reduced ad loads.

“The narrative that publishing is dying and everything sucks is a false narrative,” he says. “It’s a narrative put forth by people that are just now dealing with the outcome of bad decisions they’ve made over the last few years.”

The single largest change at the company has been its commitment to a limited but meaningful set of vertical interest areas. Focusing on seven areas has allowed the company to create trust with users, who ask themselves a handful of questions when they arrive at a landing page.

Vogel rattles them off: “What’s the domain? Do I know it? Are there too many ads? Are they weird crappy ads, or do these look like legitimate ads? And is this content readable and usable and fast?”

He adds, “You compete vertically on the Internet. It doesn’t matter if your site is general interest. If your article is on diabetes, you’re competing with the rest of the diabetes content on the Internet.”

Must Read

Scott Spencer’s New Startup Wants To Help Users Monetize Their Online Advertising Data

What happens when an ad tech developer partners with a cybersecurity expert to start a new company? You end up with a consumer product that is both a privacy software service and a programmatic advertising ID.

Former FTC commissioner Alvaro Bedoya speaks to AdExchanger Managing Editor Allison Schiff at Programmatic IO NY 2025.

Advertisers Probably Shouldn’t Target Teens At All, Cautions Former FTC Commissioner

Alvaro Bedoya shared his qualms with digital advertising’s more controversial targeting tactics and how kids use gen AI and social media.

Wall Street Turned Against Ad Tech – But May Learn To Love It Again

What can pureplay ad tech companies do to clean up their rep on the Street?

Privacy! Commerce! Connected TV! Read all about it. Subscribe to AdExchanger Newsletters

AppsFlyer and Roku’s New SRN Integration Will Shed Light On CTV Campaign Impact

Roku and AppsFlyer announced the launch of a new self-reporting network (SRN) integration between both companies, which will allow mobile app advertisers to more effectively measure their streaming video campaigns

Comic: Gamechanger (Google lost the DOJ's search antitrust case)

DOJ v. Google: How Judge Brinkema Seems To Be Thinking After Week One

Where the DOJ v. Google ad tech antitrust trial stands after one week’s worth of remedies arguments.

Swish, A Company That's Bringing Programmatic to Product Sampling, Announces Seed Funding

Swish, a startup that partners with retailers to provide product full-size CPG samples to people doing their grocery shopping online, announces $2.3 million in seed funding.